Apparatus for transporting looped rod through a cooling stage

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to an apparatus for transporting looped wire from a loop former through a cooling stage to a collector, the apparatus comprising three conveyor chains each having teeth for engaging loops of the looped wire, a first conveyor chain arranged to engage the wire from beneath, and second and third conveyor chains arranged to engage the wire from opposite sides.

Tittited States Patent [72] Inventors Gerhard Berz Dusseldorf; Klaus Vortlmmp, Neuss, both of Germany [21] Appl. No. 829,933 [22] Filed June 3,1969 [45] Patented Dec. 114, 1971 [7 3 Assignee Schloemann Aktlengesellschah Dusseldorf, Germany [32] Priority June 8, 1968 [3 3] Germany [31] P11752519fi [54] APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTTNG LOOPED ROD THROUGH A COOLING STAGE 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

52 us. Cl 226/74,

[51] llnt. Cl B6511 29/16 [50] Field of Search 226/74, 75; 242/79, 81, 82, 83

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,452.785 7/1969 McLean et al 242/82 X Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles AnorneyHolman 8:. Stern ABSTRACT: This invention relates to an apparatus for trans porting looped wire from a loop former through a cooling stage to a collector, the apparatus comprising three conveyor chains each having teeth for engaging loops of the looped wire, a first conveyor chain arranged to engage the wire from beneath, and second and third conveyor chains arranged to engage the wire from opposite sides.

APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING LOOPED ROD THROUGH A COOLING STAGE The invention relates to an apparatus for cooling and transporting wire or rod, comprising a horizontally arranged reel for forming the wire or rod into loops following the last rolling stand and forming the wire or rod at rolling temperature into upright loops, in particular the reel having a wire or rod delivery pipe rotating around a horizontal axis with an entry aperture in the axis and an exit aperture lying more or less tangential to the wire or rod loop diameter, and a conveying means downstream of the reel and carrying the wire or rod loops over the cooling stage to a collection device.

The term reel is used generally herein to designate any means for forming the wire or rod into loops. Furthermore, hereinafter when the word rod" is used it is to be understood as also encompassing smaller diameter stock commonly referred to as wire.

Difficulties also occur in the conveying of upright rod loops if in addition to air cooling of the rod, a cooling stage designed as a fluidized bed is to be used optionally instead of air cooling. It is typical that the diameter of the rod loops to be cooled is in the region of 1,100 mm. The fluidized bed would then have to have a correspondingly large cross section over the length of the cooling stage if rod was to be cooled in upright loops. Uniform turbulence throughout such a large volume can however only be attained with considerable technical expenditure. The entry and exit of upright loops of the size mentioned in a fluidized bed also causes considerable technical difficulties.

According to the invention, there is provided an apparatus for transporting looped rod through a cooling stage along a path of movement from a reel to a collector, comprising three conveyor chains disposed about the path of movement of the looped rod, each conveyor chain having a plurality of teeth for engaging loops of the looped rod, a first conveyor chain arranged to engage the rod from beneath, and second and third conveyor chains arranged to engage the rod from opposite sides.

The apparatus may provide uniform cooling of rod which, when stoppages in operation occur, allows easy removal of the strand of rod loops from the cooling stage following the reel. Furthermore, the conveying chains can provide a reliable guide for the rod loops and the teeth can provide positive conveyance.

There can be provided the cooling stage so that it is possible by simple means, depending on the respective material properties, to select the desired structure or the best cooling procedure or position on cost grounds, in combination with suitable guiding of the strand of loops. Preferably, the distance between the second and third conveyor chains is adjustable. This apparatus thus makes it possible, to convey the loops either upright or lying down over a cooling stage of any desired length.

For this purpose the second and third conveyor chains can be moved at right angles to the direction of conveying, and by widening or narrowing the distance between the said chains the desired transport conditions can be established. By moving said chains apart to a distance greater than the diameter of the rod loops, the side guide effect is removed from the strand of rod loops so that the loops tip over as they leave the loop former and are conveyed lying down. The point at which the loops tip over can be selected as desired by nonparallel adjustment of the second and third conveyor chains.

Transporting looped rod while the loops are generally horizontal or lying down is preferably only used in cases when, for treatment reasons, the reel is followed by a cooling stage designed as a fluidized bed. At the cost of somewhat more unfavorable conditions of contact with the cooling medium, this is a simple way to avoid having to make the fluidized bed of a size corresponding to the diameter of the upright loops, with the disadvantages described above; thus it is advantageous if, in the region of the fluidized bed, the constructional height of the fluidized bed is kept as low as possible by allowing the loops to lie almost flat.

If it is desired to cool the loops upright, it is possible according to a further embodiment of the invention to position the conveyor chains to guide the strand of rod loops from so close to the mouth of the reel that the rod loops are engaged by the tooth system of the conveyor chains almost immediately they leave the reel, even before they tip over into the horizontal position. The approach of the reel to the conveyor chains can advantageously be obtained by making the reel movable in the conveying direction above the conveyor chains. The reel can thus be moved right up to the ends of conveyor chains.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of apparatus for the cooling of rod, set up to convey the rod loops upright;

FIG. 2 is a cross section along line II-II of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a part of a conveyor chain;

FIG. 4 is the conveyor chain shown in FIG. 3 seen in the direction of arrow IV; and

FIG. 5 is an apparatus for the cooling of rod, set up to convey the rod loops horizontally or lying down.

The reel ll shown in FIG. ll comprises essentially a laying cone 3 rotated by a drive 2, with a rod delivery pipe 4 attached to the cone. The rod emerging from a rod mill preceding the reel runs into the rod delivery pipe 4 and leaves it at a tangent to the laying cone 3, whereby as a result of the rotation of the latter a strand or line of rod loops is. formed. The reel 1 is movably mounted on rails 5.

The reel is followed by conveyor means which has a generally U-shaped or channel-shaped cross section (FIG. 2) formed by several conveying chains 6, 7, ll, 9, 10, Ill arranged parallel to each other and in the conveying direction. The conveying chains 6, 7, 8 and 9 lie in a common plane and form the base of the conveyor plant. The conveying chains 10 and II also lie in a common plane, but in the sides 112 of the conveyor means formed by the limbs of the U-shaped cross section. The drive or guide pulleys 13 of the conveying chains l0 and ill and the drive of the conveying chains 6, 7, ll, 9 can be connected by gears so as to provide completely even running of the conveying chains.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and d, the conveying chains are formed of chain links 114 on whose connection bolts 15 supporting rollers 16 are rotatably mounted, whereby on at least one side of each conveying chain, combs 17 forming a continuous tooth system are mounted. The rod loops W to be cooled are guided between the teeth 18 of the combs l7. In addition to the support rollers 16, track rollers I9 are also mounted on the conveying chains 10 and II at certain intervals and the said track rollers-like the supporting rollers ltS-run on rails 20 mounted fixedly along the conveyor means. The rails 20 are preferably mounted in the region between the drive or guide pulleys 113. This avoids any deflection of the conveying chains It) and II as a result of their own weight and thus prevents these conveying chains from coming off their drive or guide pulleys 13. A conveyor means with conveying chains guided in this way can be made as long as desired.

The sides 12 holding the conveying chains W and Ill of the conveyor plant are mounted on carriages or slides 22 which are adjustable on rails 21 transverse to the conveying direction and which are movable for example by means of spindle drives 23. Thus the distance between the conveying chains 10 and 11 can be adjusted precisely to the diameter of the rod loops to be conveyed over the cooling stage or the conveying chains I0 and II can be disengaged from the strand of rod loops. The spindle drives 23 distributed over the cooling stage also allow nonparallel adjustment of the distance between the conveying chains 10 and II so that tipping of the rod loops can be introduced at any desired point in the cooling stage. At the end of the conveyor means (FIG. 1) there is a collection device 2 for the cooled rod loops.

By means of the apparatus according to the invention, the rod loops W can be conveyed upright or lying down over the cooling stage. In the embodiment shown in FIG. I the reel l is so close to the conveyor means sides 12 formed mainly of the conveying chainsv l and 11 that the rod loops W leaving the reel 1 upright are engaged by the teeth 18 of the combs 17 mounted on the conveying chains 10 and 11 before they can fall into the horizontal or lying down position, and are transported upright over the cooling stage. As can be seen from FIG. 2 in particular with this type of conveying the rod loops W stand only on the conveying chains 7 and 8, while the conveying chains 6 and 9 are used only for horizontal transport of the rod loops. Like the conveying chains 10 and 11, the conveying chains 7 and 8 are also provided with teeth 25 to guide the rod loops.

FIG. shows an embodiment for the use of the apparatus according to the invention to convey horizontal wire loops through a fluidized bed. The reel 1 has been moved back on rails 5, unlike the arrangement shown in F IG. 1, so that the rod loops W tip over into the generally horizontal lying down position before they come within the range of the side conveying chains 10 and 11. The horizontal conveying of the rod loops W can however also be obtained without displacing the reel 1 from the position shown in FIG. 1, by moving the conveyor means sides 12 sideways on their respective rails 21 so that the tooth system of the conveying chains 10 and 11 no longer comes into contact with the strand of rod loops. Alternatively, the conveyor means sides 12 can be adjusted to be divergent along the cooling area so that the looped rod is transported along part of the path as upright loops and then dropped into the horizontal position to be transferred the rest of the way horizontally. All the conveying chains 6, 7, 8, 9 forming the base of the conveyor means take part in the horizontal conveying of the rod loops. A housing 26 to form a fluidized bed can be placed on a basic frame provided at the level of the conveying plane, not shown in the drawing. Thus the apparatus according to the invention can be converted in a comparatively simple fashion from the conveying of upright rod loops as shown in FIG. 1 for cooling by still or blown air to the conveying of horizontal loops through a fluidized bed as shown in FIG. 5, or the like.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for transporting looped rod through a cooling stage along a path of movement from a member forming upright loops to a collector, comprising three conveyor chains each equipped with tooth fonnations for engaging the rod loops; two of said conveyor chains being spaced apart horizontally for engagement with opposite lateral portions of the loops and the third conveyor chain being disposed below said two conveyor chains for engagement with lower portions of the loops between said lateral portions.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the distance between said two conveyor chains is adjustable by adjusting means operable to remove said two conveyor chains from engagement with the looped rod which can thus lay on the third conveyor chain for transporting.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the adjusting means is operable to render said two conveyor chains diver gent in the direction of travel so that the looped rod can be transported in part as upright loops and at some point along the conveyor lay down to be transported horizontally.

i t i ll l 

1. Apparatus for transporting looped rod through a cooling stage along a path of movement from a member forming upright loops to a collector, comprising three conveyor chains each equipped with tooth formations for engaging the rod loops: two of said conveyor chains being spaced apart horizontally for engagement with opposite lateral portions of the loops and the third conveyor chain being disposed below said two conveyor chains for engagement with lower portions of the loops between said lateral portions.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the distance between said two conveyor chains is adjustable by adjusting means operable to remove said two conveyor chains from engagement with the looped rod which can thus lay on the third conveyor chain for transporting.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the adjusting means is operable to render said two conveyor chains divergent in the direction of travel so that the looped rod can be transported in part as upright loops and at some point along the conveyor lay down to be transported horizontally. 